Things To Do
Outdoor Activities
Oregon is well known for their outdoor adventures so if you want to dip your toes in these activities, one good way to do so is to book a tour. Mt. Hood Outfitters have rafting, hiking and paddle boarding tours that they can take you on through the area so give them a call!
The Gorge Brewery Tour
Take a scenic driving tour and hit up all the amazing breweries in the Gorge. Each one has their own unique view and taste and the scenery alone is worth the drive! You can take this slowly from Portland to Hood River before finally making the 45 minute drive from Hood River to the Government Camp (the city of the wedding venue).
Hood River Valley Wineries & Cideries Tour
The Hood River Valley is full of amazing orchards and thus have amazing fruit. All of this has lead to an amazing cider and wine scene that is second to none. Each of them has amazing views (something you will understand to be common anywhere in the Hood River Valley). Here is a list of some of the most recommended: https://thegorgeguide.com/best-wineries-in-hood-river-oregon/
E-bike Tour
Take an e-bike tour in Hood River and catch the beautiful landscape of the Columbia River Gorge
Cascade Kiteboarding
Did you know Hood River is the kiteboarding capital of the world? So why not partake and learn how to do it? Our friends at Cascade Kiteboarding would be happy to show you!
Vista House
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say Vista House has the best 365 views of the Columbia River Valley. On a clear day it’s like something out of the perfect painting.
Multnomah Falls
The second tallest continuous running waterfall in the country, this is really a sight to see. You can walk up to the lower falls and take a picture there behind the scenic backdrop. You can go about 10 minutes more and get to the bridge for an even closer view. If you are very adventurous, you can hike to the top of the falls, roughly about a mile each way. We recommend you park in the overflow parking right off I-84 rather than the parking on the Old Columbia Historic Highway as there is much more limited parking and always traffic getting in and out.
Columbia River Gorge Hiking
Any hike in Oregon/Washington has limited parking (and some require a parking pass) and fill up very early. We recommend trying to get there and started by 7 or 8AM.mi An easy hike is Wind Mountain and about 2 hours and 2.5 miles round trip. Wind Mountain is a nice and gradual climb to the top to a rocky view of the entire Gorge and Columbia river. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/wind-mountain-trail For a moderate hike that is about 4.5 miles round trip and about 3 hours long, try Angel’s Rest. It gives you great views at the top yet only takes up part of your day: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/angels-rest--3 If you are just hard core and don’t mind the difficulty of a hike for the reward at the end, Dog Mountain is your calling. It’s not easy and steep inclines will be waiting. But the view at the top is just simply……beautiful. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/dog-mountain-trail
Cathedral Park
Not only the location of the proposal, but an amazing and scenic park with plenty of picture worthy spots.
Pittock Mansion
There are two options to get to Pittock Mansion to get a great view of Portland. You can drive up there and pay for parking……or if you have the time, it’s an amazing 2 hours round trip hike from Lower Mcleary Park to the top and back (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/lower-macleay-park-to-pittock-mansion). Very rewarding!
Food Pods
Did you know that Portland not only is known for it’s food pods, but it also has the most food trucks in the entire country? Many of them will have a beer garden in addition to food, but if you can’t decide between Korean, Sushi, Burgers, Thai, Poke, and more….why not all of it? Some of our favorite food pod areas are: Hawthorne Asylum Cartlandia Portland Mercado Prost Marketplace
Powell's City of Books
The largest independent bookstore……in the world! It’s multi-storied and covers several city blocks.
International Rose Test Garden
With over 10,000 different rose bushes, this is the reason we are called the “Rose City” and the oldest operating rose test garden in the USA.
Forest Park
With over 8 miles of land, this is one of the largest urban forest in the country (i.e. forest in the middle of a city). You can hike for miles, check out the foliage, enjoy the bird sanctuary, and a litany of other nature-laden adventures.